Trey Bonham had an idea of what he was looking for when he entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal after spending the 2023-24 season at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his third basketball program in four years.
The 6-foot guard, who was an All-Southern Conference first-team selection, also knew he had a great opportunity to finish his college career with the Mocs.
It would mean continuing to play for Dan Earl, who is preparing for his third season as UTC’s head coach after seven in that role at fellow SoCon program Virginia Military Institute, where he provided Bonham his first opportunity coming out of high school. It would also mean one more run with junior guard Honor Huff, who was paired with Bonham at VMI and again last season at UTC.
Huff mostly sat out Bonham’s transfer exploration process, offering encouragement and advice when necessary, but all the while knowing what they could achieve if both returned.
“I tell people all the time, as a brother and friend to him, I want to do what’s best for him and he’s a grown man,” said Huff, who made 109 3-pointers and averaged a team-high 17.4 points per game on his way to All-SoCon second-team recognition last season.